keepdreamin Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 I'm not a tech guy, but I would think for this thing to work with an Everdrive, it would have to be communicating with the cart in real time. So are they using a FPGA and different cores, different SOCs per module? My initial impressions of this thing was just a fancy emulator box. The reason the retron 5 won't work with a flashcart is because it's actually dumping the rom of the cart before you play it. So when you attempt to fire up the retron with a flashcart installed, it's looking to dump the first thing it sees, which in the case of a flashcart isn't a loaded game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 I'll have to leave that for E3 attendees to say as I'm not there to play it. I'd imagine it has matured since the last playable demo a year or so ago... Unless, of course, there really is a midget under the table swapping out carts on a retron. I'm not a tech guy, but I would think for this thing to work with an Everdrive, it would have to be communicating with the cart in real time. So are they using a FPGA and different cores, different SOCs per module? My initial impressions of this thing was just a fancy emulator box. The reason the retron 5 won't work with a flashcart is because it's actually dumping the rom of the cart before you play it. So when you attempt to fire up the retron with a flashcart installed, it's looking to dump the first thing it sees, which in the case of a flashcart isn't a loaded game. That's just it-- their original "prototype" from SoCal looked for all the world like another emulator box, yet Polymega is insisting it's some new "hybrid" approach. There's a considerable disconnect between what Polymega claims this this is, and how the actual unit seems to work. That needs to be reconciled. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullity Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 That's just it-- their original "prototype" from SoCal looked for all the world like another emulator box, yet Polymega is insisting it's some new "hybrid" approach. There's a considerable disconnect between what Polymega claims this this is, and how the actual unit seems to work. That needs to be reconciled. I thought that reading the carts in realtime was different than your typical emu box? How did it look the same as any other box? I realize there were several conspiracy theories hatched to allege that the system wasn't working as claimed (or, in one case, that the system wasn't even there), but I don't recall reading anything that offered any compelling evidence. Here we are with another demo, this time reading straight off a cart. I wish they'd stick an everdrive in the console as that would be some compelling evidence that it does work as advertised. "Hybrid" aside, which other emu boxes offer twitch / youtube / Facebook streaming and posting? That's kind of new, right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 (edited) it's interesting, I'll give it that. If it's real and if it really plays CD-Rs and flash carts that's something even more interesting. BTW there's no way a working CD-player + cart slot + controller (Sega CD, for example) is anything less than $100. I would be surprised if it's under $150. Blow me away, Retroblox. Edited June 12, 2018 by derFunkenstein 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 I thought that reading the carts in realtime was different than your typical emu box? How did it look the same as any other box? I realize there were several conspiracy theories hatched to allege that the system wasn't working as claimed (or, in one case, that the system wasn't even there), but I don't recall reading anything that offered any compelling evidence. Here we are with another demo, this time reading straight off a cart. I wish they'd stick an everdrive in the console as that would be some compelling evidence that it does work as advertised. "Hybrid" aside, which other emu boxes offer twitch / youtube / Facebook streaming and posting? That's kind of new, right? How about the fact that this "hybrid" approach has never been used, and more than one hardware expert has said it's either grossly impractical or downright impossible? It's not like "hybrid emulation" is a bullet point on any other system. R-Blow is the only one claiming it, and they've done zero to substantiate it. As for how it looks the same as any other box... it was running a front end with Sydney Hunter and Super Mario All-Stars ROMs loaded. The fighting game wasn't actually being played off the disc either. Facebook? Seriously? I have a device that can play ROMs and post to Facebook. I call it "the 15 year old computer I haven't even turned on since Bush was in office." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 I really resent this razor-and-blades approach of buying a whole new box every time I want to swap stuff out. If I didn't want to play on OG hardware but wanted to use original controllers, I'd just get a RetroFreak. At least those come with a bunch of cart slots and ports, and it's up-front about being an emulation box. Plus no opposition to ROMs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullity Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 How about the fact that this "hybrid" approach has never been used, and more than one hardware expert has said it's either grossly impractical or downright impossible? It's not like "hybrid emulation" is a bullet point on any other system. R-Blow is the only one claiming it, and they've done zero to substantiate it. As for how it looks the same as any other box... it was running a front end with Sydney Hunter and Super Mario All-Stars ROMs loaded. The fighting game wasn't actually being played off the disc either. Facebook? Seriously? I have a device that can play ROMs and post to Facebook. I call it "the 15 year old computer I haven't even turned on since Bush was in office." I have a computer that plays games better than XboneX and Ps4pro... Shame on Sony and Microsoft for making those. What is your proof that the demos of reading discs and/or carts have been fake news? I mean, beyond the word of the experts who haven't yet been hands on with the actual products. I really resent this razor-and-blades approach of buying a whole new box every time I want to swap stuff out. If I didn't want to play on OG hardware but wanted to use original controllers, I'd just get a RetroFreak. At least those come with a bunch of cart slots and ports, and it's up-front about being an emulation box. Plus no opposition to ROMs. You can currently swap between 4 cd consoles without changing modules. I wont lie, I wish polymega supported all the carts and controllers without requiring swappable modules. But what a large medusa-looking beast that would be! Seems a tough compromise... On one hand, you could have all of the original consoles + framemeister + all of the cables and space on the entertainment center for all of the consoles (not to mention the expense of the framemeister and the original consoles or the hassle of switching sources). On the other hand, you could have Polymega with 1 HDMI cable and access to all of those condoles with built in social features like a modern console but having to pay up to 8 billion euros (staying ahead of the speculation curve). At current inflation rates, I could sell my modded PCE Duo and NES to get a polymega and gain psx, ngcd, and all the Sega since I currently don't own those. honestly, I will keep my real consoles on the yuge CRT I have for my retro gaming, but I would love to have a polymega in my living room. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 What's my proof that reading the game was fake? How about the fact that the game was playing before the disc went in? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullity Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 What's my proof that reading the game was fake? How about the fact that the game was playing before the disc went in? I don't recall seeing that one. Hmmm... Do you have a link? At 50 pages, this thread is hard to sift through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 (edited) I don't recall seeing that one. Hmmm... Do you have a link? At 50 pages, this thread is hard to sift through. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/261689-retroblox/?p=3694360 The thread is searchable. Took me around 2 minutes. I'd love for this thing to be real. Some sort of wonder-machine that can play games from any era, not emulate, use (presumably) FPGAs to keep latency at a minimum, and do it all perfectly. That's roughly what they're promising. I just don't see how it can possibly live up to the hype. Edited June 13, 2018 by derFunkenstein 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 http://atariage.com/forums/topic/261689-retroblox/?p=3694360 The thread is searchable. Took me around 2 minutes. I'd love for this thing to be real. Some sort of wonder-machine that can play games from any era, not emulate, use (presumably) FPGAs to keep latency at a minimum, and do it all perfectly. That's roughly what they're promising. I just don't see how it can possibly live up to the hype. No, they are promising software emulation. What they are also promising is 100% cartridge compatibility by direct circuit which is difficult to do. Compatibility with CD/DVD or even floppies with software emulation shouldn't be a problem since that stuff is loaded into ram anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 No, they are promising software emulation. What they are also promising is 100% cartridge compatibility by direct circuit which is difficult to do. Compatibility with CD/DVD or even floppies with software emulation shouldn't be a problem since that stuff is loaded into ram anyway. They keep talking about "hybrid emulation" in a very hand-waving way that makes it hard to grok exactly what they're promising. Ostensibly they're doing this so their competitors won't beat them to it. I think you're probably right, but there's enough ambiguity to make people wonder and speculate. Personally, I am unwilling to give them the benefit of the doubt until they actually show something and we can get a real look at it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 No, they are promising software emulation. What they are also promising is 100% cartridge compatibility by direct circuit which is difficult to do. Compatibility with CD/DVD or even floppies with software emulation shouldn't be a problem since that stuff is loaded into ram anyway. They're promising "hybrid emulation", which they have been marketing as far more than just direct cart access. From their FAQ: IS POLYMEGA™ 100% EMULATION? POLYMEGA™ uses a new method for playing old games called Hybrid Emulation. Its more like 50% emulation and 50% hardware. We will be releasing an in-depth walkthrough of our technology prior to the launch of the pre-order campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 I don't doubt that more than 50% of their efforts are going into hardware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 You know what these are, right? I hope the people looking to buy this (retron 5 as well) figure it out... it's a Rube Goldberg machine to play ROM dumps. QFT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullity Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 http://atariage.com/forums/topic/261689-retroblox/?p=3694360 The thread is searchable. Took me around 2 minutes. I'd love for this thing to be real. Some sort of wonder-machine that can play games from any era, not emulate, use (presumably) FPGAs to keep latency at a minimum, and do it all perfectly. That's roughly what they're promising. I just don't see how it can possibly live up to the hype. Thanks for the link. So, the fact that they allow you to install games is damning... How? Not sure what the beef is with this video. Of course the games on the screen are the ones that have been loaded already. My xbone does the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj_convoy Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 That $600 figure is definitely spot-on. The base unit comes with one module and will cost $300, per their FAQ. $600 for all the modules is probably a lower end price. Holy cow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 I guess that's how we separate the "true retro fans" from the cheapskate nostalgia cowboys? (I am in the latter category if that $300+ pricing is true) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepdreamin Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 I have a computer that plays games better than XboneX and Ps4pro... Shame on Sony and Microsoft for making those. What is your proof that the demos of reading discs and/or carts have been fake news? I mean, beyond the word of the experts who haven't yet been hands on with the actual products. You can currently swap between 4 cd consoles without changing modules. I wont lie, I wish polymega supported all the carts and controllers without requiring swappable modules. But what a large medusa-looking beast that would be! Seems a tough compromise... On one hand, you could have all of the original consoles + framemeister + all of the cables and space on the entertainment center for all of the consoles (not to mention the expense of the framemeister and the original consoles or the hassle of switching sources). On the other hand, you could have Polymega with 1 HDMI cable and access to all of those condoles with built in social features like a modern console but having to pay up to 8 billion euros (staying ahead of the speculation curve). At current inflation rates, I could sell my modded PCE Duo and NES to get a polymega and gain psx, ngcd, and all the Sega since I currently don't own those. honestly, I will keep my real consoles on the yuge CRT I have for my retro gaming, but I would love to have a polymega in my living room. Or you could just use a 15+ year old PC you already own. Disc based emulation for psx, NGCD has been doable since the very early 2000s. I don't see the convenience factor for this thing either. You will be storing and swapping out different modules. In fact, I'd say a properly setup center with all the consoles (which is what I'm doing, with an OSSC as the hub) is more convenient. Just hit a button on a switchbox and your source is picked, I don't have to unplug a module, walk over grab the next one and plug that up. Those who are going to be in the market for this thing A) most likely own the original hardware B) Have a history tossing cash at redundant pieces of hardware like retrons, Ouyas, clones etc.. that just wind up boxed when the next iteration comes around. Why not instead spending the hundreds this thing and all its modules are going to cost you only to find its inevitable home in storage, and go invest in a good setup for the consoles you already own. For under 300, you can go customize an Ikea BESTA center that will hold a dozen plus consoles. Can fit on doors if you want so unused consoles aren't on show. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullity Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/13/playmaji-is-looking-to-bring-its-retro-gaming-modular-console-to-market/ Release in Q4 $249 base unit (1 module included) $59 module 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj_convoy Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 (edited) So base of $249.00 + 59.00 Genesis 59.00 PC Engine 59.00 SNES 59.00 NES That's 485.00 bucks, right there. Yow. For a jumped up Retron / Retro Freak (granted, it plays CDs)... I dunno. The value proposition seems off to me. Clearly the controllers are meant to be the value add, but eh.. I dunno. Edited June 13, 2018 by dj_convoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 It depends on how "nice" it is. The FPGA-based Super NT with 8bitdo controllers is pretty slick, at $180, and it just does SNES. There seems to be a big pool of thirty somethings with deep pockets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Oh, so more than a PS4 Pro for the full functionality. That's such a deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullity Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 (edited) Dj_convoy: Wrong. Base unit includes 1 module. If you're committed to overlooking all of the online features Polymega has, then yes, value is lacking. Edited June 13, 2018 by nullity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 (edited) Well, I dunno. We'll see. I was just reminded that I plunked down very close to that for a PC Engine and SSDS3. Still need to be able to load CD-Rs (or better yet, just let me copy over ISOs; why is this so hard?), and prove it can play games from flash carts. The online features can all go DIAF. Online on a retro console is stupid. I'll pay less and they can stop developing that garbage. edit: did we all catch that it has another new name? "Playmaji" Edited June 13, 2018 by derFunkenstein 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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